Four Junior National Team alums set for CFL National Combine

by footballcanada

Abdesmad first Quebec-product to participate in NFL Combine

Photo credit: USA Football

With professional football combine season in full swing, a number of national team alumni have been invited to showcase their skills in preparation for professional drafts.

Four set for CFL National Combine

This former 2012 Junior National Team foursome, that helped Canada to 2012 IFAF U19 World Championship gold, have been invited to participate in the 2016 CFL Combine in Toronto, March 11-13:

  • Kadeem Adams – OL – Western – Halifax, N.S.
  • Doug Corby – REC – Queen’s – Burlington, Ont.
  • Quinn Horton – DL – Simon Fraser – Winnipeg, MB.
  • Mercer Timmis – RB – Calgary – Burlington, Ont.

Current Montreal Alouettes’ defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe will have some inside information on the group, having lead the 2012 national team as head coach in Austin, Texas.

View a full CFL National Combine roster here.

2009 alum participates in NFL Combine

Montreal native Mehdi Abdesmad, a member of Canada’s U19 national team at the 2009 IFAF U19 World Championship in Canton, Ohio, participated in the most recent NFL Combine in Indianapolis. By doing so, the former Vieux Montreal Spartiate became the first Quebec product to attend the NFL’s National Combine. Up until 2016, Quebec-born players had only ever attended NFL regional combines.

He looks to follow the path of either McGill product Laurent Duvernay-Tardif who was drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the KC Chiefs or Carolina Panthers offensive lineman, David Foucault who was signed as an undrafted free agent that same year. Other Quebec products currently on NFL rosters are longtime Cowboys’ long snapper JP Ladouceur and Packers’ special teams contributor Andy Mulumba.

Four more land CFL regional invitations

An additional four members of Canada’s gold medal winning 2012 Junior National Team also received invites to regional CFL selection camps in the hopes of impressing scouts enough to earn a ticket to the national combine. Calgary Dinos product Michael Schmidt earned an invite to the Edmonton regional combine on March 7 while Montreal’s CFL regional combine on March 9 includes current Rouge et Or linebacker Pierre-Luc Caron. Rounding out the invitees are Keldyn Ahlstedt (McMaster) and A’dre Fraser (Guelph) who secured spots at the Toronto regional combine on March 10.

Full list of CFL combine invitees here.

Junior National Team alumni currently on CFL rosters

Name – Jr. National Team – Current CFL Team

Kirby Fabien – 2009 – BC Lions

David Menard – 2009 – BC Lions

Mike Dubuisson – 2009 – Edmonton Eskimos

Danny Groulx – 2009 – Edmonton Eskimos

Pierre Lavertu – 2009 – Calgary Stampeders

Karl Lavoie – 2009 – Calgary Stampeders

Adam Thibault – 2009 – Calgary Stampeders

Jesse Briggs – 2009 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Jake Thomas – 2009  – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

John Rush – 2012 – Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Byron Archambault – 2009 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Lindon Gaydosh – 2009 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Ron Omara – 2009 – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Lirim Hajrullahu – 2009 – Toronto Argonauts

Matt Sewell – 2009 – Toronto Argonauts

Tanner Doll – 2012 – Ottawa REDBLACKS

Jean-Samuel Blanc – 2009 – Montreal Alouettes

Brandon Bridge – 2009 – Montreal Alouettes

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